Harts of Stur Kitchen Issue 08, Winter 2018-19 | Page 15

Menu a la Harts
Roast topside of beef
by Jack Stein
T
his is my way of cooking a topside. It is placed in the oven at
9am and then left until we are ready for our roast at around
3pm. The topside, though quite cheap, can be a slightly
tough cut for roasting, so I strongly recommend that you speak to your
friendly local butcher and ask him to source one that has been dry-aged
for a minimum of 21 days, preferably 30.
Set your oven to the temperature that you want the meat to end up
(see the guidelines below). First sear it, paying attention to getting those
lovely caramel reactions in the meat, then season it and put it in the
oven. This method also tenderises the meat: as the meat temperature
reaches 30ºC, enzymes in it start to age the muscle. You can never
overcook the meat if you set your oven to the temperature you want it
to achieve.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1.5kg topside of beef
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
for the gravy
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A sprig of thyme
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
375ml red wine
1 litre beef stock
1 teaspoon Marmite
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
50g unsalted butter, cold
Method
CHRISTMAS KIT
Digital thermometer
“So handy for so many things: making
marshmallow, melting chocolate and
testing the ‘doneness’ of meat. This is a must-have
in my kitchen; I absolutely could not live without one.
They are relatively inexpensive as well – and what’s £15
when you have probably spent twice that on assembling a
beef wellington. You don’t want to overcook the beef; that
would be a shame.
So, be good and ask Santa for a digital thermometer.”
Darren Purchese
Master Class Folding Digital
Thermometer
RRP: £11.49
Harts Price: £10.34
About Jack Stein
Like his famous father, Rick, he’s
happy showing his passion for
great food in accessible recipes
that make the best of local
ingredients while being inspired
by exotic tastes from further away.
Extract taken from World on a Plate by
Jack Stein (Absolute Press, £26)
Photography © Paul Winch-Furness
1. Preheat the oven to 55ºC and season the beef all over with the salt. If
you prefer your beef medium, set it to 60ºC and so on. If your oven doesn’t
go this low, roast the beef at 220ºC Fan (240ºC/Gas Mark 9) for 30 minutes,
then drop to 180ºC Fan (200ºC/Gas Mark 6), and roast until a meat probe
reads 55ºC, which should take about 1½ hours.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the beef on each side until golden
brown (about 2 minutes each side including the ends). Deglaze the pan
with 2 tablespoons water; reserve these pan juices for making the gravy
later.
3. Put the beef into a roasting tin and cook in the oven for a minimum of 4
hours until the internal temperature reaches the oven temperature you set.
4. Meanwhile, roast the potatoes. Set aside and keep warm.
5. When the meat is nearly finished, prepare the greens.
6. Now make the gravy. Soften the shallots, garlic and thyme in vegetable
oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and season with the salt. Add the red
wine and reduce until evaporated. Add the beef stock and deglazed pan
juices and reduce by half. Add the Marmite, soy sauce and vinegar and
reduce by another one-quarter. Whisk in the cold butter to finish.
7. After removing the beef from the oven, leave it to rest for 15 minutes.
8. Slice the beef (thick or thin, as you like) and serve with the greens, roast
potatoes and gravy.
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